Clinton and actor Morgan Freeman presented their bid for the games in Zurich on Wednesday, with the former president arguing that U.S. involvement would boost soccer’s profitability worldwide. "I believe FIFA is the main reason soccer has become a unifying force," Clinton said. "The U.S. is in the best position to help you in fulfilling that mission."

Clinton also argued that having the 2022 tournament in the United States would help popularize it among Americans. "The level of enthusiasm for the game has never been greater across America,” he wrote in Sports Illustrated last month. Hosting the tournament, he said, would “mobilize American citizens and citizens around the globe to do more to address the economic, social and environmental challenges.”

The United States last hosted the World Cup in 1994, during Clinton’s presidency.

FIFA also announced that the 2018 tournament will be hosted by Russia.